


Weight of the World

by auroradawn9669



Series: Cry Little Sister [8]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angry Billy Hargrove, Blood, Child Abuse, Death Threats, Deputy Steve Harrington, Domestic Violence, F/M, Head Injury, I named Max's dad David, Intimidation, Lucas is a great boyfriend, Mentions of miscarriage, Misogyny, Neil Hargrove Being an Asshole, Nightmares, Not a redemption fic at all, PTSD, Past Rape/Non-con, Physical Abuse, Possessive Billy Hargrove, Power and Control issues, Racism, Sibling Abuse, Verbal Abuse, because i could, mentions of Tommy H
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 20:36:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14838755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auroradawn9669/pseuds/auroradawn9669
Summary: “It’s me,” he heard Hopper say and he sighed, knowing whatever was making the chief call at this hour couldn’t be good.“Demodogs?” he questioned, because it wasn’t often he got a phone call this late from anyone, let alone Hopper, and his mind went straight to the Upside Down.“No. I don’t think so anyway.”





	Weight of the World

Steve hadn’t been asleep all that long when his phone began to ring. He groaned, burying his face in the pillow and trying to ignore it. But when it didn’t stop, he reluctantly lifted his head up and peered at the clock through one squinting eye. 2:33 A.M. He groaned again, but turned onto his side and reached out, grabbing onto the phone and pressing it to his ear. “‘Llo?” 

“It’s me,” he heard Hopper say and he sighed, knowing whatever was making the chief call at this hour couldn’t be good. 

“Demodogs?” he questioned, because it wasn’t often he got a phone call this late from anyone, let alone Hopper, and his mind went straight to the Upside Down. 

“No. I don’t think so anyway.” 

“That’s not really reassuring, Chief.” He sat up in bed, raking a hand through his hair and yawning. “What is it then?” 

“Elaine Hudson called into the station. Said her son Tommy hasn’t been home since Friday morning.” 

Steve paused at that. He and Tommy hadn’t been friends for quite awhile now, but that didn’t mean he wanted something bad to happen to him. Not that it _had_. “I’m assuming she checked his girlfriend’s house and the quarry?” Tommy liked to go there sometimes to drink. 

“Carol said she hasn’t seen him since school Friday, and no one knew of any parties over the weekend. I sent Rogers to check out the quarry since Carol mentioned it, too. You two used to be friends, right?” 

“Yeah. Used to be,” he echoed, eyebrows furrowing as he tried to come up with other places the guy might have gone. “Chief, you’re sure this isn’t related to...you know. The other stuff?” It wasn’t like people in their town went missing that often. 

“No. Not entirely. But I don’t think it is.” 

“Okay, well. I’ll get dressed and come down to the station,” he said. 

“Thanks. Sorry to wake you,” the older man said, even if Steve had a hunch he wasn’t all that sorry about it. 

“It’s not a big deal.” He’d just down some caffeine once he got there. Sleep was overrated anyway. 

***

Mike spent most of Saturday doing homework and by the time Sunday morning rolled around he was starting to feel like he was going stir-crazy. It was raining, though, so riding his bike was out. He couldn’t wait for two more years when he’d have his license, even if he didn’t necessarily have a car to drive. He stared glumly out the window, then decided to hell with it. A little rain wasn’t going to hurt him. 

He changed clothes, deciding he’d head over to Will’s and see what his friend was up to. He could have used his radio, but he figured if he wasn’t home, he’d just go to El’s or Dustin’s or Lucas’. He tied his shoelaces and headed down the stairs, pausing in his tracks when he spotted his mom on the sofa. 

With Billy Hargrove. 

They were watching a movie, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Disgust rolled through him even though they weren’t actually _doing_ anything this time, thank God. “Is this going to be a regular thing now?” 

Karen Wheeler glanced over her shoulder at him, cheeks growing pink. Good. She _should_ be embarrassed. 

“Hey, Mike,” Billy said, tone casual even if the look in his eyes was one of amusement. 

“Screw you, Hargrove,” he spat. 

“ _Michael._ ” 

“I can’t believe you’re shacking up with a guy who’s literally _Nancy’s_ age! Let alone _him_!” He gestured toward Billy, glaring at the two of them. 

“I’m so sorry,” she murmured to Billy even as she pulled away from him, rising to her feet. “Listen to me, young man. You don’t have to like it, but this is _my_ house -” 

“Great. Keep it. I’ll go stay somewhere else,” he snapped. 

“Maybe I should go,” Billy offered, rising to his feet and looking as innocent as he could pull off. 

“I’m sorry,” Karen apologized again, laying a hand on his arm. He gave her a reassuring smile, leaning in to kiss her cheek and winking at Mike as he headed for the door. 

“See you soon,” he said over his shoulder as he moved past Mike on the way out. Mike flipped him off. 

“Michael Wheeler, I don’t know who you think you _are_ ,” Karen began as soon as Billy was out of the house. 

“You are _not_ a teenager, Mom!” Mike told her, voice rising. “And Billy _Hargrove_? _Seriously?_ You could find someone better at the literal _dump_!” 

“Go to your room,” she ordered, jaw tightening as she folded her arms across her chest. 

“No.” He glared right back at her. “Do you even care that just a few weeks ago he threw me up against a locker because I accidentally bumped into him in the hall between classes? Or that he was going to kill Lucas because he’s a racist piece of trash and doesn’t want him around Max?” Mike grabbed his jacket off the hook by the door. “Or how about the fact that he literally tried to kill Steve Harrington last year by beating the shit out of him?” 

“ _Michael!_ ” 

“It’s the truth. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you ask literally anyone else? Nancy? Will, Lucas, Dustin! Hell, ask _Max_ what she thinks of him. He’s awful to her,” he told her, shaking his head. “And seeing you with him? Is disgusting.” He turned and headed for the door. 

“Don’t you walk out of this house like -” 

“Hey, on the upside if I leave and don’t come back, you and Billy can do whatever you want since Nancy’s never here and Holly’s too young to care, right?” he asked bitterly. Then he shoved the door open, stepping outside and slamming it behind him. 

***

_“You know, Max, I really can’t let you get by with taking off like that without my permission. Not without punishment.”_

She didn’t know what he meant, had a hard time focusing on his words with her face pressed down into the pillow. It was a struggle just to breathe. But when she felt his hands pulling her asscheeks apart, she knew what he intended to do and her body tensed up as he spat on her, saliva trickling down between her thighs as his finger forced its way inside of her, pain making her shudder as she struggled, trying to get leverage so that she could get _up_ , stop this from happening - and then he was grabbing her hair, yanking her head back, telling her this would be easier if she didn’t fight. 

And then there were two fingers inside of her and oh god, it hurt - it was too much. He was going to tear her apart, and he didn’t even _care_ because he liked causing her pain. There was nothing she could do to stop him, no way to _escape_ \--

The ringing sound was out of place, interrupting the memory that was haunting her head as she slept, sweat drenching her. Things shifted abruptly then, and she stirred as she saw Steve standing off the side of her bed, looking horrified. 

Max started, blinking herself awake when the ringing came again. 

“Max! Get the goddamn door!” Billy bellowed, making her shudder. 

She sat up slowly, rubbing a hand over her face and checking her sheets for more blood, but there wasn’t any. Had that all been a nightmare, too? She wasn’t sure, but she rose to her feet, wincing at the pain that shot through her abdomen as soon as she stood up. She pressed a hand to her stomach, feeling dizzy but making her way down the hall and toward the front door, disoriented and not entirely convinced she was even awake. When she opened the door, she found Steve standing there in his uniform, hand on his hips. 

“Steve?” 

His eyebrows furrowed and he looked at her for a moment, frowning. “Are you okay?” 

She looked down at herself, not entirely sure what he referring to, and figuring she must look like she just rolled out of bed. Which she had. “Yeah.” 

“Are you sure? You’re shaking,” he said, stepping into the house and closer to her. 

Max wrapped her arms around herself. “I’ve been sick all weekend. What are you doing here?” she whispered, glancing over her shoulder. 

Steve glanced past her, too. “I’m here to talk to Billy, actually.” 

Alarm spiked through her but she did her best not to let it show on her face. “Billy? About what?” 

“Well --” 

“Well, well, well. Officer _Harrington._ Long time no see.” Billy’s voice was smooth as he moved to stand behind her and she swallowed heavily, tensing. “To what do we owe the pleasure?” 

“I’m here to talk to you, actually.” Steve’s gaze shifted from Max to Billy and she bit down hard on her lip. The only thing that gave her any peace of mind at all right now was the fact that Steve was carrying a gun. 

“Little ole _me?_ I’m touched you could take time out of your busy schedule working with Hawkin’s _finest._ ” The way he said it indicated he thought the exact opposite, which didn’t surprise her at all. She relaxed a fraction when he moved away from her and sat down on the couch, stretching his arms out over the back of it and raising his eyebrows. “By all means. Talk away.” He glanced at Max. “Why don’t you just go back to your room?” 

“She can stay,” Steve responded, voice even as he pinned Billy with a warning look. 

“Sure.” Billy smirked and turned his attention back at Steve. Max leaned against the wall, glancing between them and waiting to hear what was going on. 

“It seems Tommy Hudson’s gone missing,” Steve said, not taking his eyes off Billy. “And according to a couple of kids from school, they saw him getting into your car at the end of the day on Friday. Wanna tell me what the two of you got up to?” 

Max felt her blood run cold and she struggled not to look at Billy. 

“Sure.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “We grabbed some liquid fuel, picked up some chicks, had a little fun.” 

“Where did you go?” he questioned. 

“The quarry,” Billy told him, arching his eyebrows. “We cleaned up, dropped the bitches off, I dropped Tommy off at his house and came home.” 

Max’s gaze flickered to Steve’s face and she watched him stare hard at her stepbrother, his jaw tightening. “Yeah, well, I’m gonna need the names of these _bitches_ so I can talk to them, too.” 

Billy chuckled. “I didn’t catch their names, Officer. It wasn’t a serious thing. Just a little in and out, ya know?” 

Steve’s face contorted into one of disgust and he glanced at Max. “Why don’t you go back to your room, Max?” he suggested quietly. 

Heart beating quickly, she turned and did as he asked, lingering at the end of the hall and straining to listen. 

“Is this an _official_ interrogation?” she heard Billy ask. 

“Not at all. This is just a preliminary interview,” Steve responded. “I find it a little strange that your only alibi is some girls whose names you conveniently don’t know.” 

“Well, just because I don’t know their names doesn’t mean I can’t take you to their house,” Billy pointed out. 

“ _Really._ ” Steve sounded intrigued but wary at the same time. 

“I’ll take you there right now if you want.” 

Fear surged through her and she debated for a long moment whether or not to tell Steve that going anywhere with Billy was dangerous. She froze when Billy rounded the corner, arching his eyebrows at her. “Don’t hurt him,” she whispered. 

Billy paused at that. “How stupid do you think I am, Max?” he asked quietly, face inches away from her own. “I’d never put my hands on an officer of the _law_.” He stared at her intently until she turned her head, looking away as a soft chuckle escaped him. “You look like shit. Go back to bed.” 

He moved past her, into his room, grabbing his leather jacket and shrugging into it before heading back down the hall and vanishing from her sight. A moment later she heard the door close behind them as they left, heard the engine of Steve’s car rumble to life once more. 

Tommy was missing. 

She slowly made her way back into her bedroom, closing the door behind her and leaning against it for a moment. 

Tommy was missing and Billy was the last person to see him. That couldn’t be a coincidence. 

It _couldn’t_ be. 

***

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed between when Billy had taken off with Steve and the telephone ringing. She hadn’t looked at the clock when she’d woke up, and it didn’t occur to her to look as she slowly rose from her bed, moving down the hall and picking up the phone in the kitchen. “Hello?” 

“Max?” 

The voice on the other end was so familiar, so comforting, that tears pricked at her eyelids. “Hi, Dad.” Her voice sounded more choked than she wanted it to, and of course he picked up on that right away. 

“Are you all right?” 

“I’m fine,” she assured him. What else was she supposed to say? She couldn’t exactly tell him the truth. Lying got so much easier each time you were forced to do it. “How are you?” 

“I’m fine, too,” he told her and she could hear the concern in his voice and she forced herself to cover the phone with her hand so she could take a couple deep breaths to try and calm her emotions. “Are you busy? I was hoping we could talk about this summer.” 

For a moment, her heart swelled. _Escape._ But Neil’s words from two days ago surfaced in her mind, and she knew there was no way in hell they’d let her go to California to visit her dad for the summer. “I’m not busy. Yeah, sure.” She brushed a tear off her cheek. “What do you have in mind?” 

“Well, I thought I could send you a plane ticket for the week after school is done. You can stay as long as you want, of course.” He sounded hopeful, and her heart ached. She hadn’t seen him since the previous summer, and phone calls and letters just weren’t the same. 

“Yeah, I’d really like --” Before she could even finish her sentence, the phone was jerked out of her hand and she looked up, expecting to see Billy. Instead, Neil stood there, her mother right behind him as he slammed the phone down onto the receiver. Without warning, he slapped her across the face, hard enough that she reeled backwards, stumbling into the wall behind her, holding her face with one hand, cheek stinging. 

“What part of _grounded_ do you not understand? There are no fucking phones when you’re grounded, Maxine!” he shouted, and she flinched. “Get your ass back to your room and stay there until I say it’s okay to come out.” 

Swallowing heavily, her gaze shifted to her mom, whose lips were pressed into a thin line, eyes focused on the phone on the wall. 

Without a word, Max turned and walked down the hall to her room, closing the door behind her and lying down on her bed once more. 

She wasn’t going to survive the summer here. 

There was no way.

***

Though he usually liked weekends, this past weekend had seemed endless to Lucas. He hadn’t gotten much sleep, had waited in the house near the phone hoping against hope for a phone call from Max, but it had never come. He knew from Mike that her mom and stepdad had shown up at the school and taken her home midday on Friday, that she was serving a half day suspension, but was due to come back Monday. She was grounded, no doubt. 

He’d never actually met her family, aside from Billy, and from what little Max said about them, he had a feeling that was probably for the best. Her mom might be okay, but only if her stepdad wasn’t around. And maybe Max was an expert at dealing with her less-than-stellar family, but Lucas couldn’t help worrying about her. At this point it was second nature, and truthfully he’d been worried for awhile now. She hadn’t been acting like herself in weeks. Longer, really. Sure, she still traded barbs with Mike and insulted Dustin and rolled her eyes at him when his nerdiness reached higher levels than normal, but it was like everything she did and said was half-hearted. 

He wanted to talk to her about it, wanted to ask her what was _really_ going on, but they’d seen each other so little lately when it was just the two of them that it made it impossible to talk about anything serious. He hated it. 

Lucas got to school early, not waiting outside for the others the way he usually did. Instead, he’d gotten out his books for the first two periods and slid them into his backpack, then moved to wait by Max’s locker. He watched as people came and went, turning when he caught sight of a flash of red hair down the hallway a few minutes before first period. He just needed to see her, to make sure she was _okay._ He didn’t even care if she yelled at him about it. He held his breath as she approached but it wasn’t until she got closer that he saw how _pale_ she was. She was fair-skinned to begin with but this wasn’t a natural paleness. She looked...sick. 

Her hair was tied back in a braid, her long-sleeved blue shirt and black skirt making her look somehow older than she really was, and only further emphasized her pale skin and the dark circles beneath her eyes. 

“Max?” 

“Hey,” she said, and he hated that he couldn’t read her tone. He struggled not to blurt out the only question on his mind, but she seemed to know what he was thinking and she glanced at him sideways as she opened her locker. “I’m fine. I’ve been sick all weekend. Flu.” 

Lucas wanted to believe her, but she didn’t meet his eyes when she spoke. She might have been able to fool anyone else, but not him. Wordlessly he reached out and slid his fingers through his, squeezing her hand. She grew still at that, staring down at their hands for a moment and then lifting her gaze to look at him. 

The depth of pain that he saw flash in her blue eyes wasn’t something he imagined now matter how quickly she broke eye contact with him, and it made him feel like he’d been kicked in the stomach. “I should get to class,” she murmured, digging in her locker with her free hand but not making any effort to let go of him.

“Max,” he whispered. 

She closed her eyes, nodding quickly. “I know. Lunch time. Okay? We’ll talk at lunch time.” 

The warning bell rang and he watched as she flinched at the sound, holding his breath. He didn’t want to leave her side. Irrationally, he had the distinct feeling that if he let her go now, he was never going to see her again. 

“Promise,” he whispered. “Lunch. Promise me.” 

“I promise,” she whispered back. 

***

Lucas was barely down the hall and out of Max’s sight when Billy appeared from out of nowhere, grabbing her braid tightly and yanking on it as he pressed her up against the locker. “Meet me in the science lab. You have two minutes,” he ordered, barely contained fury in his eyes. 

Her own eyes watered from the pain in her head and then he let her go, stalking away and heading toward the science lab. She was going to be late for first period, but that clearly didn’t matter. Not to Billy. She closed her locker door, slowly following him down the hallway and into the lab. The door barely had a chance to close before he was in her face again. 

“What the _hell_ was that?” he demanded, voice low enough that it wouldn’t draw the attention of anyone outside the room. 

“I was just talking to Lucas,” she answered, doing her best to meet his eyes. Had he been close enough to overhear their lunch plans? Had he heard her promise to tell Lucas what was going on? Dread pooled in her stomach. 

“Knock it off with the public affection bullshit,” he warned. 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “All we did was hold hands--” 

Billy gripped onto her arm. “I don’t want to see his hands on you again or there’s going to be two missing kids from Hawkins High. Do you understand me?” 

Max held her breath and she nodded quickly, just wanting to get away from him. Get out of that room and somewhere else. “I understand,” she whispered. 

He yanked her closer to him. “Don’t fuck up again,” he told her, glaring at her. His face was so close to hers she could feel his hot breath against her cheek and it was all she could do not to turn her face away. 

“Max, there you are!” 

The chipper voice from the doorway wasn’t one she was expecting when she turned her head to see Marie Farrington standing there, bright smile plastered on her face. 

“We were supposed to meet to talk about our English project, remember?” 

She wasn’t stupid. She knew what Marie was doing even if she didn’t know _why_ she was doing it. Billy’s grip had eased up on her arm at the appearance of the pretty blonde. “Right,” she agreed, gaze flickering back to Billy, who narrowed his eyes at her, glaring at her intently before nodding that she was dismissed. 

Max quickly moved to the door and the other girl, grateful for the interruption even if she was a little dazed. Marie linked their arms together, leading her straight to the nearest girl’s bathroom. Then she pulled away from her. 

“Are you all right?” She was surprised by the seemingly sincere concern in the cheerleader’s voice. 

“Yeah. He’s just…” 

“An asshole,” Marie finished for her, studying her intently. “I know the type.” 

Max pressed her lips together, wrapping her arms around herself. “Thanks,” she said after a moment. 

“Of course. Girls need to stick together,” she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. She gave Max a tiny smile before pulling open the door, leaving her standing alone in the bathroom, head spinning as the first period bell rang. 

***

“Thank you for coming. The chief’s been by, of course, but he doesn’t know Tommy the way you do.” 

Steve nodded slightly, managing a faint smile at Mrs. Hudson when she stepped aside to let him into the house. Once upon a time this house had been like a second home to him, Tommy’s mom like a second mom. “Of course.” 

Her hair was pulled into a messy bun, her clothes slightly wrinkled like she’d fallen asleep in them on the couch. A portable phone was clutched tightly in her hand. “I keep thinking he’ll call and tell me he’s stranded somewhere or something.” 

“He might,” he assured her. But he might not. Especially not if Tommy had somehow slipped into another dimension, which frankly was Steve’s current working theory. 

“Please, come sit down,” she urged, motioning him to follow her into the living room. There were photograph albums spread out all over the living room table, pictures strewn about. 

Steve followed her, moving to sit down on the sofa and glancing at the photos momentarily and then looking at her as she sat beside him. “Has Tommy been acting any different lately?” 

“No. No, everything’s been normal. I mean, his attitude’s been the same even though I know he and Carol have been having some issues.” 

He paused at that. “Issues?” 

“They had a fight a couple weeks ago at some party. She hasn’t been around as much.” 

Steve made a mental note to talk to Carol, since she’d neglected to mention that little piece of information. Not that he thought Carol was capable of murder. She might be a bitch, but she wasn’t a killer. At least he was pretty sure she wasn’t. 

“So everything’s been normal except for things with Carol. Has he been around as much as usual? Maybe home less or…?” 

Mrs. Hudson considered, green eyes troubled. “No, he’s been around the same amount as usual.” 

Steve had no doubt that she was doing her best to be honest and helpful, but so far nothing she was saying was very helpful. He didn’t want to put ideas in her head, but he couldn’t stop himself from asking the next question. “Does Billy Hargrove hang around here much?” He tried to sound as casual as possible as he looked at the photograph album in front of him. 

“Yeah, sometimes. They’ve gotten to be good friends,” she told him, sounding puzzled. 

He nodded at that, glancing at her sideways. “So they hang out a lot?” 

“Fairly often, I suppose. Billy’s a nice young man.” She smiled faintly. 

Steve had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes because the _last_ thing that Billy Hargrove was, was _nice._ But he knew as well as anyone that people could fool others into believing they were something they weren’t. And Billy? Was some kind of goddamn expert. Lucky for him, his alibis and story had checked out. At least the part of it that the two girls - sophomores - were there for. “Mind if I check out his room?” 

“Of course.” Mrs. Hudson rose to her feet and he did the same, both moving toward the stairs and descending them until they reached the basement where Tommy’s room was. He gave her a tiny nod and a faint smile as he flipped on the light and glanced around. Nothing seemed out of order. It wasn’t overly neat, but it wasn’t really _messy_ either. That was Tommy. He didn’t love dirt, but clutter didn’t bother him. 

Steve stepped inside and scanned the room more closely, grimacing as he spotted Tommy’s collection of video tapes. He _knew_ what was on those tapes. His once-friend had a thing for rewatching his own sexcapades. Steve hadn’t really _judged_ him for it, but it certainly wasn’t something that Steve himself had ever felt compelled to do. 

His gaze swept over a pile of books on the desk in the corner, the green hoodie slung carelessly over the back. He paused momentarily, staring at the hoodie and trying to remember when he’d seen Tommy wearing it, but couldn’t. Then again they hadn’t exactly been hanging out the last couple years. 

Steve felt a sense of unease, like he was missing something that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He turned to glance at Mrs. Hudson who hovered in the doorway with watery eyes. “Thanks for letting me check it out. I don’t see anything out of order here, though, do you?” 

She shook her head, wiping at her eyes with a handkerchief. “Thank you for trying.” 

“Hey.” He moved to her side and rested his hands on her arms. “I’m going to do everything I can to find him and bring him home, okay? You have my word.” 

She reached up and touched his cheek fondly. “You’ve always been a good boy, Steve. If anyone can find Tommy, I know it’s you.” 

He returned her smile even though her words made his stomach knot. No. He hadn’t always been a good boy. Far from it. But he’d been trying for awhile now and hopefully that counted for something. 

As he left the Hudson home, he knew he’d told her the truth. 

He was going to do everything in his power to bring Tommy home, one way or the other. He just had a feeling it wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d hoped. 

***

By the time fourth period rolled around, the rumors about Tommy’s disappearance had spread all over the school. Everyone was talking about it. The fact that Will’s name popped up more than once made Max’s stomach turn as people compared the two instances, along with mentions of Barb, and the now-dismantled Hawkins Institute. She did her best to tune all of it out even as Billy’s words from that morning danced on the edges of her mind. 

_”I don’t want to see his hands on you again or there’s going to be two missing kids from Hawkins High.”_

The more she thought about the words, the more dire and twisted they felt. The fact that Billy was the last person to see Tommy on Friday, before he “vanished” didn’t help her growing levels of anxiety. She skipped fourth hour because she was hyperventilating in the bathroom as her mind played _What if_. 

What the hell was she supposed to say to Lucas? What was she going to tell him? What _could_ she tell him? Every time she started trying to ration out what she could and couldn’t say without getting him hurt or _worse_ , a wave of panic washed over her, reduced her to hiding in one of the stalls, trying to focus on her breathing. 

When the bell rang at the end of fourth period, it shattered her nerves even more but she forced herself out of the stall and splashed cold water onto her face, wiping it off with a paper towel. God, she was so _pale._ She knew why, of course. She wasn’t stupid. Blood loss would do that to a person when it was a significant amount and it certainly had been that. She pressed a hand to her stomach and quickly turned from the mirror, trying to steel her nerves for the upcoming conversation. 

Max made her way to her locker as calmly as possible, completely ignoring a couple of older girls who went out of their way to give her a wide berth, like she had some kind of disease. For some reason that fueled her and she slammed her locker shut after putting her things into it and pulling out the note from Lucas that simply read: _Janitor’s Closet, 2nd Floor._ She glanced around warily but didn’t see any sign of Billy, so she hurried up the steps to the second floor, ignoring the faint stabbing pains in her abdomen from the movement. 

Glancing around once more, she pulled open the door to the janitor’s closet, exhaling when she spotted Lucas already there, sitting on the couch, a blanket spread out beneath him and the contents of his sack lunch spread out atop it. It only took her a second to realize that there were two sandwiches, two apples, two cookies and two little cartons of chocolate milk. 

“Hey,” he greeted, rising to his feet. 

This time her stomach fluttered for another reason. How the hell could someone as good as Lucas exist in a world where guys like Billy and Neil and Tommy existed? 

“Max?” 

His voice sounded concerned and she glanced at him once more, offering him a small smile. “Hi,” she said finally, reaching back and locking the door behind them before stepping closer to him. 

Lucas moved closer, too, then reached out and wrapped his arms around her. She did her best not to wince as he pulled her against him, but he must have picked up on it. “Are you okay?” 

She hesitated. “Mostly,” she said quietly, because there was no point in hiding more from him than she had to. She rested her head against his shoulder, letting her eyes close and sliding her arms around him in return. 

“Mostly?” he whispered. 

Max lifted her head up once more, pressing a kiss to his cheek before pulling away slowly. “Let’s sit down,” she suggested, motioning to the blanket. 

“Okay.” He slid his fingers through hers, guiding her over to it and sitting down on the floor. She did the same but more slowly, aware of his watchful gaze locked on her every move. It wasn’t like when Billy was staring at her. With Lucas, it was because he was worried. Because he cared. With Billy...everything was twisted. Fucked up. 

She had to get away from him. 

Max eased herself onto the floor opposite of where he sat and she stared down at the food he’d brought for them. “This is really nice,” she murmured. 

“You’re hurt. Aren’t you?” His voice was hushed and she bit her lip before looking up at him. 

“My stepdad wasn’t too happy about Friday’s little incident with Troy,” she admitted and she regretted it at the stricken expression that settled on his face. “I’m okay. It’s not that bad.” Truthfully it wasn’t. Sure, she was still sore from the beating that Neil had dealt her Friday night, but it was nothing compared to what had followed hours later. 

“ _Max._ We should talk to Hopper,” he said, shaking his head. “He has no right to put his hands on you.” 

“It wouldn’t help, Lucas.” She tucked some hair behind her ear. “My mom would defend him. Billy would be furious.” She didn’t look at him now. She didn’t want to think about what Billy might do to her if Hopper threw his dad in jail, or even if he just came by the house to talk to Neil. That would definitely make things worse. 

“If he’s hurting you, then --” 

“It was punishment. It’s not...it’s not like it happens all the time.” She pressed her lips together. At least not because of Neil.

“But you didn’t do anything to _deserve_ punishment, Max.” 

She glanced up, trying to smile at that, at his unwavering faith in her even when he didn’t know all the details. “I need you to promise me something.” 

Lucas nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on her.

“Promise me that you won’t believe any of these stupid rumors, no matter how bad they get,” she whispered. Because with Tommy vanishing, she knew it was going to get worse. It always did. 

“ _Max._ Of course I don’t believe them. Most of the people here are so bored with their own lives they can’t resist making shit up about other people,” he said sincerely. “Trust me. I know firsthand.” 

She had no doubt about that. She tried to smile, but his reassurance only made her heart twist painfully. She shifted closer to him, making sure not to smash any of the food. “Lucas?” 

“Yeah?” he whispered, searching her eyes. 

“Do you think...can we just stay in here for awhile?” 

“Like...skip class?” he asked, eyebrows furrowing. 

“Just next period.” Her voice was pleading and once he realized it, he nodded quickly. 

“Yeah, of course.” 

“Will you hold me for a little bit?” She sounded pathetic. She _felt_ pathetic for asking, but it was a fleeting emotion once his arms had wrapped around her and he pulled her against him, cradling her to his chest and resting a hand on the back of her head. Instinctively, her body began to relax against him. This was it. Her safe place. She never thought she’d be one of those girls who fell _so_ hard for a guy that the very idea of being away from him was physically painful, and yet here she was. 

She needed to soak it up while she could because everything was going to change. 

Everything. 

***

Lucas tapped his pencil against his notebook absently as Marie jotted down some notes for their project after school that day, but his mind wasn’t on homework. Not by a long shot. No, his thoughts were set firmly on a certain redhead who’d pressed a soft kiss to his mouth before they parted ways after seventh period: she to go home with Billy and him to meet Marie at the library. He worried, distantly, about how Max was going to get her own project done since she was paired up with Troy, and that...obviously wasn’t going to work out well. 

“Are you all right?” 

Marie’s concerned tone brought him out of his reverie and he blinked a couple of times before offering her a small smile that he hoped was reassuring. “Yeah. I’m sorry. It’s been kind of a long day.” 

“We could work on this tomorrow,” she offered. 

Lucas glanced at her again, shaking his head. “No, I’m okay, really. We should work more on it today.” 

“If you’re sure.” She frowned, studying him intently. She looked down at her paper, erasing a mark and then glancing at him once more. “Is everything okay with Max?” 

At that question, he grew still, lifting his gaze to meet hers and wondering why she was asking. It wasn’t like she and Max were friends. They barely knew each other. Still, the seriousness in her voice had him paying attention. “What do you mean?” 

Marie hesitated, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “Her brother’s...kind of…” 

“An asshole?” Lucas finished wryly. 

“He was yelling at her this morning in the science lab.” 

Max definitely hadn’t mentioned that. She hadn’t mentioned Billy at all, in fact. He leaned forward a little, resting his arms on the tabletop. “Yelling at her about what?” 

She shook her head. “I don’t know, really. I just pretended I was looking for her so that I could get her away from him. She looked scared.” 

He forced himself to take a slow, deep breath, his jaw tightening involuntarily. Now he wanted to call her, or go to her house and he knew that he couldn’t. He wasn’t allowed at her house - hadn’t been since that first time. Even after she’d stood up to Billy, she’d been insistent that he couldn’t come over _no matter what_. And not just him. The others weren’t allowed over, either. 

“Like you said, Billy’s an asshole,” he said quietly, even as he tried not to think about why Max hadn’t mentioned a confrontation with Billy to him earlier that day, in the janitor’s closet. Then again, it wasn’t like she was obligated to tell him _everything_. He just wanted her to open up to him so badly when it came to the real stuff. The important things. But if she hadn’t told him, she had her reasons. She always did, and he trusted that. 

“You don’t think he’d hurt her, do you?” Her voice dropped and her expression grew worried. 

He gave her a weak smile. “Of course not,” he assured her. 

The code wasn’t broken. 

After all, he and Marie weren’t actually friends. 

***

Lying beneath her covers, Max stared intently on the clock, watching the moments tick by as she waited. The house had long since gone quiet, the way it always did eventually, once the screaming and arguing ended. It had carried on longer than usual tonight, ending in the sound of Billy getting the shit beat out of him across the hall. The look that Neil had given her had been one of warning - that now that he’d crossed that line once, he wasn’t afraid to do it again. 

Her mother would no longer meet her eyes. 

It was nearly 2 AM before she finally found the courage to move, tossing the covers off her, already wearing her jeans, a t-shirt and a black hoodie. She couldn’t remember what happened to her favorite green one. It didn’t matter. All that mattered now was getting out of the house as silently as possible. 

Max carefully knelt at her desk and picked up her bag that she’d stuffed with clothes, the letters she’d written, a couple of pictures, a couple packages of crackers, a bottle of water, and as much money as she could scrape together from her change, and her mom’s purse. It wasn’t much. $35 and some odd cents. It would have to do. 

She secured the bag on her back, and moved to her window, sliding it open as far as it would go, as she’d done dozens of times over the last year and a half. Then she grabbed her skateboard, tucking it beneath her arm and carefully swinging her leg out. She looked back at her room momentarily, holding her breath and praying to God that she’d never see it again. 

And then she ducked out the window, quietly pulling it shut and taking off into the night without looking back again. 

***

The first thing she did was drop the three neatly addressed and stamped envelopes in the nearest mailbox. Then she set her board on the ground, intending to put as much distance between her and her house as she possibly could as quickly as possible. The night air was still cool, but her hoodie kept her warm enough that the only thing that felt cold were her hands and her face. It felt good to be back on her board, even if it was almost a foreign feeling at this point because it had been so goddamned long since she’d been on it. 

Her red hair flew behind her as she zoomed down the pavement, going over her best, immediate options. Thirty five dollars wasn’t going to get her back to California, even by bus. She could get out of town and call her dad. He would come and get her, she _knew_ it. But that would take time. Too much time. 

She remembered Lucas talking about how Jane had hitch-hiked once. It was a little risky, but she wasn’t about to rule it out. She wasn’t going to rule _anything_ out at this point. Whatever got her out of Hawkins was what she’d do, safety be damned. Because she wasn’t safe _here._

Max swallowed heavily as her mind flashed back to Friday night, lying on the bathroom floor for hours, bleeding. She wasn’t stupid. She knew exactly what had happened. She hadn’t missed any of her periods even if the last two had been a lot lighter and shorter than usual. It just hadn’t been enough of a change for her to consider that she might be pregnant. 

She quickly banished all thoughts of Friday night from her mind. She wasn’t ready to think about that yet. Not really. She’d never been the type to think about getting married or deciding whether or not she’d want kids one day. It just always seemed to be too far in the future to worry about. Especially in the Mayfield-Hargrove house where there was never any real certainty to begin with. 

Max made it a couple miles from her house, almost all the way into the actual town part of the town when the revving of a familiar engine sent a tremor of fear down her spine so hard she lost her balance, tumbling off her board. The pain of her scraped up hands barely registered as headlights flashed behind her. It was all she could do not to scream, bracing herself for impact as the camaro sped toward her, stopping only inches away. She shut her eyes, cringing and remaining frozen in place when she heard a car door slam. 

And then Billy was gripping onto her arms, hauling her to her feet with barely contained fury on his face as he dragged her back toward his car. “You fucking idiot,” he spat. 

Something inside her snapped and she rammed her elbow back and into his stomach as hard as she could, hearing him grunt at the impact. She screamed, hoping to wake up whoever lived in the houses nearby enough that someone might come to her rescue. She stomped on Billy’s right foot, struggling in his grasp even as he shoved her up against the passenger side of his car. 

“Stop fighting me,” he ordered, reaching for the door handle. 

“Fuck you,” she bit out, raking her nails down his arm. 

And then he gripped onto her hair and slammed her head into the passenger window. Her head spun from the impact. Distantly she realized there was blood where her head had made contact with the glass. It was the last thought she had as consciousness left her a moment later. 

***

She woke slowly, groggy, to the sound of Billy cursing, the car zooming dangerously around curves in a road she didn’t readily recognize. For a moment she remained absolutely still, afraid to move and let him know she was awake. Her heart began to pound heavily in her chest even as her head throbbed painfully. 

“So fucking stupid,” he said, slamming a hand against the steering wheel, making her flinch involuntarily. 

Max squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the growing nausea in her stomach. 

“You fucking thought you’d just take off? Where the hell did you think you were going to go?” He reached out with his right hand, grabbing onto the collar of her hoodie and yanking her toward him. “What? Gonna run away to that nigger’s house?” 

“No!” she choked out. 

“You know what I think? I think I screwed this all up.” He shoved her away and her stomach lurched dangerously. “I should have fucking killed _him_ from the get go. Now his whole family has to suffer, but that’s partially on you, too, Max, so don’t think you’re innocent when this is all said and done.” 

Her head buzzed as she struggled to understand what he meant, sweat beading on her forehead as he whipped around another curve. 

“He’s got a sister, too, right?” His hand shifted from the wheel to the space between them on the seat, gripping onto the gun that lay there on the seat.

The question was idle, but it was loaded. It dawned on her suddenly what he was planning. He was going to kill Lucas and his entire family, because of _her_. 

“I’ll make it quick this time,” he said as she stared at him in horror. “I didn’t, with Tommy. For the record. He got what he deserved.” 

Dizziness swept over her as she realized he had turned the car in the direction of the Sinclair house. Time seemed to stop as she reached out and yanked hard on the steering wheel. She barely heard the brakes squealing or Billy’s shouted curses as the car jolted off the road and rammed hard into a tree, shattered glass raining down on her as her body was thrown forward into the dashboard.


End file.
